National Conference, Congress to fight J-K assembly polls together

Srinagar: Congress and National Conference (NC) on Thursday agreed to jointly contest the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The CPIM has agreed to put its weight behind the alliance to make it more effective.

The seat-sharing arrangements in both the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region of the Union territory will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest “in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take.” However, the list of contesting candidates for each phase of the elections will be released separately, the sources said. The elections are being held in three phases-September 18 and 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be held on October 4.

The two parties had contested the Lok Sabha polls together as part of the INDIA Bloc with the Congress losing both the seats in Jammu, while NC lost one of the three it contested in the Kashmir Valley. Ladakh went to an Independent.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met NC president Farooq Abdullah at his residence along Srinagar’s Gupkar Road on Thursday morning to discuss “how best we can put up a joint fight against the BJP” in the Assembly elections being held after a gap of ten years.

Former chief minister and NC vice president Omar Abdullah, party’s provincial president (Kashmir Valley) Nasir Aslam Wani, his counterpart for Jammu Ajaj Kumar Sadhotra, AICC general secretary (In-charge organisation) K C Venugopal and JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra also attended the meeting.

Farooq Abdullah in a brief interaction with the media persons after the meeting said, “We had had a very good meeting in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track and, In’Sha Allah (God willing), this will go on smoothly. The paperwork will be completed and signed by this evening. The alliance will be on all ninety Assembly seats.”

Asked if it will be expanded by taking other like-minded parties along, he said that the doors are not closed for anyone. “Look, the Congress and we (NC) are together. (Mohammad Yusuf) Tarigami Sahab (of the CPIM) is also with us, and I hope our people too are with us. By the grace of God, we will win these elections with a huge majority and then work together towards the betterment of the people,” he said.

Mr. Abdullah asserted, “The people of J&K have suffered enormously in the absence of an elected government. We hope the statehood of J&K will be returned and its all powers restored too. It will be our endeavour too to get them back.” He added, “The statehood is vital for every one of us. We have been promised that it would be returned to us. J&K has seen bad times”.

Asked if the Congress and NC will work out a common-minimum-programme ahead of the elections, Mr. Abdullah quipped, “Our common-minimum-programme is to fight elections together to defeat the divisive forces that exist in the country.” He added, “Honestly speaking, I’m very happy that we have agreed to fight these elections together. We have to make this wattan (country) stronger. I will go and bow my head before Allah who helped us in this (forging alliance).”

Earlier while speaking at a Congress workers’ meet here, Mr. Gandhi had announced that there will be a coalition in J&K but not at the cost of Congress workers’ and leaders’ interest. “The alliance will take place for sure. But there won’t be a coalition at the cost of Congress workers’ and leaders’ interest. All you (workers) should remain assured that there will be no compromise on the interests and respect of party workers and leaders,” he had said.

Mr. Tarigami, the CPIM’s key face in J&K, while confirming his party is part of the alliance, told this newspaper, “It is the question of the survival of democracy in J&K. These elections have provided us with an opportunity to come forward and face challenges thrown up by the arbitrary decisions of August 5, 2019 and later on together. We must together resist and oppose the disastrous policies pursued by the BJP vis-à-vis the people of J&K.”

While Farooq Abdullah hoped that J&K’s statehood will be returned, Mr. Gandhi had said earlier, “It is our priority in the Congress party and also in the INDIA alliance to restore statehood to J&K as soon as possible. We had expected that this would be done prior to the elections but elections have been declared. It is a step forward and we are hoping that statehood would be restored as soon as possible and the democratic rights of the people of J&K will be restored to them”.

Mr. Gandhi said, “This was the first time since independence that a state became a Union Territory. Union territories have become states, but it was first the time that a state was split and reduced into Union territories. So, we are very clear in our national manifesto as well that it is a priority for us that the people of J&K and Ladakh get their democratic rights back.”

He added, “My message to the people of J&K is, howsoever we can help you, the Congress party is always there. We understand that you are going through a very difficult period, a tough period, and we want to remove your pain and end violence."

The NC has in its manifesto resolved to strive also for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. When asked if the Congress supports the party on it, Farooq Abdullah retorted, “Go and ask this question to the Congress.”

Mr. Gandhi while speaking at the Congress workers’ meeting also said that on Wednesday evening he relished the Kashmiri cuisine Wazwan at a Srinagar restaurant and also drove to the city centre Lal Chowk to enjoy ice cream at a classic parlour. “I met some people at the ice-cream parlour. Some of them asked me if I like J&K people? This irritated me and I replied to them that I don’t only like J&K people, but I also love them. I have an old bond with Kashmir…I have a blood relation with Kashmir.”

He took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the INDIA bloc has managed to shake his confidence and psychology. “You can’t see PM Modi opening his chest anymore. Our ideology and strength paved the way for us. We didn’t resort to violence or use unparliamentary language but still succeeded in conveying a message to PM Modi that he is not what he feels of himself,” he said.

While speaking on the occasion, Mr Kharge said that if Congress wins polls in J&K, the party would be able to conquer entire India. “People of J&K must repose trust in Congress so that we can pull you out of the mess and despair,” he said.

He said, “As per a survey, it has come to fore that Rahul is the most popular leader in J&K. The Congress will fight for the restoration of rights of people of J&K. We will fight for your land, forests and rights snatched from you.”

He accused the BJP of betraying the people of J&K. “Not a single promise made to the people of J&K before polls has been kept. They are all jhumlas,” he said.

Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi had arrived here on Wednesday afternoon on a two-day visit to J&K for key meetings with the local party leaders and workers in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections and also meet NC and PDP leaderships to explore the possibility of a pre-poll alliance or, at least, a suitable seat adjustment.

After wrapping up discussions with the party leaders and workers here, they were scheduled to fly to Jammu on Thursday afternoon for similar engagements there. The duo is being accompanied by some other key faces of the Congress including K.C. Venugopal, Kaushal Vidyarthee, Pranav Jha and Basil Raj Kunnel. They were scheduled to arrive in Jammu on Wednesday and, on the second leg of their crucial visit, reach Srinagar the next morning but they changed their itinerary at the last moment.